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Home   »  Downloadable Books  »  FAQs For Downloadable Audio Books

Fast Facts & FAQs

Patrons
    Need a Town of Hanover Libraries card 
    May download @ the library or at home
    May e-mail reference@thehowe.org for help (or call 643-4120)
System Requirements
           PC or laptop with Windows Media Player 10 (or newer) 
           Or
           Mac OS 10.4.9 (or newer), iTunes v.7..6.2.9 (or newer)
           and QuickTime v.7.4.5 (or newer)
Audio Books:
    One checkout at a time for many titles
    Check out for 1 week
    Only 3 checkouts at a time
    No early returns
    Only some titles may be burned to CD
    Can place holds on titles
    E-mail notification of a hold to “pick up”
    Pick-up within 48 hours
   When placing a hold, leave an available checkout so that you can pick
    up your hold when it becomes available.
MP3 Players:
    May check out an MP3 player with a USB cable
    Headphones not provided
    Will check out for 3 weeks with no renewal 
    Cannot be put in book drop

Why did the library choose OverDrive?
OverDrive is one of the leading downloadable audio companies with a library program component.  Downloadable audio book programs are very expensive.  The New Hampshire State Library recognized the need for this service and realized that most libraries in the state would not have the funding to pursue this on their own so they contracted with OverDrive and formed a consortium.  The Town of Hanover libraries were able to join with generous grants from the Gates Foundation.  All consortium fees are used to buy content, the consortium is governed by member libraries.
 
Will my iPod work with OverDrive?
Yes, OverDrive MP3  and some WMA audio books can be downloaded to Macs and played on iPods. 

MP3, WMA, what's this all about?
OverDrive MP3 Audio books are encoded at a bit rate of 64kbps and are available for download as MP3 files. OverDrive MP3 Audio books are compatible with many devices including most cell phones, PDAs, and MP3 players. If you wish to transfer audio books to an Apple device (iPod®, iPhone™, etc.) or other device that plays MP3 audio files but does not support DRM-protected WMA files, you must check out OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks.
Note that OverDrive Media Console for Mac supports OverDrive MP3 Audio books only, and transfers titles to Apple devices only.

OverDrive WMA Audiobooks are digitally-protected audiobook titles available for download in the Windows Media Audio (WMA) format. OverDrive WMA Audiobooks are about half the file size of OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks but maintain the same level of audio quality. OverDrive WMA Audiobooks are generally compatible with portable devices that support DRM-protected WMA files encoded at a bit rate of 32kbps.*


Chart courtesy of OverDrive

Why do I need an MP3 player or an iPod?
You don't.  You may listen to your audio book on your computer, and if licensing allows, you may burn it to CDs. 

How do I know what MP3 players  and iPods will work this service?
The Overdrive device resource center offers a good list of compatible devices in all price ranges.  http://www.overdrive.com/resources/drc/ 

What size MP3 player do I need?
 The chart below will help you determine the best MP3 player to purchase.

Chart courtesy of OverDrive

I'm trying to burn an audio book to CD & it won't work.  What am I doing wrong?
Not all titles can be burned to CD; you must check the licensing information for each title you select. 

Why won't my WMA audio book play on my computer anymore?     
OverDrive uses Microsoft's Windows Media Player with digital rights management.  After the checkout period expires, the rights management prevents the title from playing on your computer.  If you would like to reactivate the title, simply return to OverDrive  and check out the title again.

I have a dial-up connection; will I be able to download audio books?      
You should be able to download but it will be very slow; it will take a long time to download an entire book.  After you checkout a title and start the download process, you have the option of downloading the entire book or only parts.  With a dial-up connection, you'll want to only download a part at a time.  You also have the option of coming to the library to use our high-speed public access network to download an entire book. 
         
I tried to download my title 3 times and had trouble each time.  Now I can't download at all. What's going on?
OverDrive limits the number of times you can download a title to 3.  They cannot allow unlimited downloading due to publisher's licensing restrictions.  We can re-enable the download feature for you, please e-mail (reference@thehowe.org) or give us a call ( 643-4120).

OverDrive sent an e-mail to me to tell me that my hold was ready to “pick up” but when I went there it wasn't there. What happened?
You have 48 hours from the time the e-mail is sent to “pick up” your hold so if you waited more than 48 hours the hold had expired. Also, if you have the maximum number of items checked out, you will be unable to “pick up” a hold if one becomes available for you. OverDrive recommends that you leave 1 available checkout if you have anything on hold. 

*OverDrive website







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